Support girdle



March 24, 1959 B. A. CURREN SUPPORT GIRDLE Filed July 5, 1956 IN V EN TOR.

FIG. 2

AT TORN EY SUPPORT GIRDLE Bertha Ann Curren, Oklahoma City, Okla.; Roy J. Curren, executor of said Bertha Ann Curren, deceased Application July 5, 1956, Serial No. 595,983

2 Claims. (Cl. 128-536) The present invention relates to combined undergarments and abdominal supports, and more particularly to supports embodied in or connected to undergarments such as corsets or girdles, etc., particularly for women.

Undergarments such as corsets and girdles were originally designed and intended to maintain a desired shape of the body of the wearer in accordance with the dictates of fashion and incidentally to provide some support for the body abdominal region. This secondary purpose, however, to a great extent at least, has been lost sight of in that only certain types of corsets provide any support for the wearer. Those corsets which do provide any support for the wearer are primarily limited to the maternity corset line.

Many initially excessive fat women succeed, by dieting or otherwise, in materially reducing their weight and the size of their abdominal region. However, particularly with older women, the'previously distended abdominal muscles do not shrink or recover their original posture, resulting in a prolapsed condition of the hypogastric region of the abdomen.

It is therefore the principal object of this invention to provide an undergarment for supporting the prolapsed abdominal muscular tissues of the wearer.

A similarly important object is to provide an undergarment of this character which will remain in its abdotes Patent of the crescent shape upwardly disposed, thus forming a prolapsed tissue receiving pocket in co-operation with the front portion of the corset. A semi-circular gusset of yieldable elastic material is flatly connected to the lower rear portion of the corset with the arcuate edge of the gusset disposed downwardly, thus forming a buttocks receiving pouch in co-operation with the rear portion of the corset.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the inner surface of a corset made in accordance with the present invention; and,

Figure 2 is a vertical cross sectional view, illustrating the relative position of the corset to the body of the wearer, the body being shown'in fragmentary outline.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings.

The corset shown in the drawings is conventional with corsets since this is one of the most common of all feminine undergarments and comprises front, back and brassiere portions. The device of the present invention is shown in connection with this type of corset for illustrative purposes only. It is in the particular construction and arrangement of my invention with a corset of men supporting position, relative to the body of the wearer, at all times regardless of the position of the wearer.

Another important object is to provide a supporting undergarment which, in addition to supporting the prolapsed muscular tissue, will enhance the appearance and morale of the wearer.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of this class which will support and mold the abdominal regions without placing the same under unduly artificial or painfully restrictive stresses.

An additional object of my invention is to provide supporting means which may be attached or connected to any conventional foundation or undergarment which encircles the body of the wearer.

Yet another object is to provide a device of this character which does not require the wearing of hose connected to the lower edges of the undergarment for holding the undergarment in position while the wearer is in a seated position.

A further object is to provide a means adapted for attachment to a corset, girdle or foundation garment which will provide a support for the abdominal region not found in such conventional garments, and which includes means for holding the garment in the desired wearing position without resorting to the use of hose and support straps connected thereto.

Briefly, the present invention comprises a corset or body encircling undergarment having front and rear portions. A substantially crescent shaped gusset of nonelastic material is connected fiatly to the inner surface of the lower front portion of the corset with the tips this type that I depart from the conventional and achieve results not obtainable from those devices of this class now in common use. p

The reference numeral 10 indicates, as a whole, a

1 corset which is of the wrap-around type; that is, when being put on, the corset is wrapped around the body of the wearer and the end edges thereof are fastened at one side of the body of the wearer by laces, snaps or any suitable fastening means. upwardly from the upper portion of the thighs of the wearer to a point just under the arm pits, and comprises a front section or portion 12, and an integral upper front brassiere or bust section or portion 14 which is held in place on the body of the wearer by shoulder straps 16 fitting over the shoulders. The front 12 and bust portion 14 are integrally joined at one side to the back section or portion 18 by a side portion 20. The respective ends 22 and 24 of the corset, as shown in Fig. 1, when connected by the fastening means 26, form the side of the corset opposite the side 20.

In carrying out the invention, a section of non-elastic material is cut in substantially a crescent shape forming a gusset 30 having arcuate outer and inner edges 32 and 34, respectively, and tip ends 36. With the corset 10 opened out flatly, as shown in Fig. l, the crescent shaped gusset 30 is flatly disposed transversely on the inner surface of the front section 12 with the arcuate edge 32 adjacent the lower edge 13 of the corset and with the tip ends 36 adjacent the end 22 and side 20, respectively. The gusset 30 is connected to the front 12 along the arcuate edge 32, as by sewing, as indicated by the dotted line 40. Thus, the gusset 30 in co-operation with the front 12 forms an upwardly opening pocket for the purposes which Will presently be apparent.

A substantially semi-circular gusset 42 is cut from yieldable elastic material forming an arcuate edge 44 opposite the chord or straight edge 46 thereof. The semicircular gusset 42 is similarly disposed transversely of the back section 18 with the arcuate edge 44 disposed downwardly adjacent the lower edge 13 of the corset. The semi-circular gusset 42 is similarly connected along its arcuate edge 44 to the inner surface of the back section 18, as by sewing, as is indicated by the dotted line 48. Thus, the semi-circular gusset 42 in co-operation Patented Mar. 24, 1959 The corset 10 extends with the back section 18 forms an upwardly opening pouch for the purposes disclosed hereinbelow.

Similarly pocket forming gussets 50 of suitable material may be similarly connected to the inner surface of the bust portion 14, thus forming breast supports if desired.

Operation The corset is placed on the wearer in a conventional manner, as shown in cross section (Fig. 2), and when so placed the free arcuate edge 34 of the nonelastic gusset 30 contacts the wearer across the pelvic region and forms a pocket-like support in co-operation with the front section 12 for the prolapsed hypogastric region of the abdomen. The straight edge 46 of the semi-circular gusset 42 contacts the wearer at the juncture of the buttocks with the back of the leg, thus nesting the buttocks in a pouch-like support in co-operation with the back section 18. Thus, when the wearer is seated, she sits on the yieldable elastic gusset 42 which precludes any upward slippage of the corset relative to the body while in a seated position.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an abdominal support the combination with a girdle adapted to encircle the body of a wearer, said girdle having front and rear portions, of: a crescent shaped gusset of non-elastic material flatly contacting the inner surface of said girdle and connected along its arcuate bottom and side edges to the inner surface of said girdle adjacent the lower edge of the front portion thereof, said non-elastic gusset forming an upwardly open pocket in co-operation with said front section adapted for receiving and supporting the prolapsed hypogastric region of the abdomen; and a semi-circular gusset of yieldable elastic material flatly contacting the inner surface of said girdle and connected along its arcuate edge to the lower inner surface of the rear portion of said girdle, said semi-circular gusset forming a pouch, in cooperation with said rear portion, adapted for receiving the buttocks of a wearer for preventing upward slippage of said girdle when the wearer is in a seated position.

2. In a controlling garment the combination with a girdle portion adapted to encircle the body of a wearer, said girdle having front and rear sections, of: an upwardly pointing crescent shaped gusset of non-elastic material flatly contacting the inner surface of said girdle and connected adjacent its arcuate bottom and side edges to the inner surface of said girdle front section adjacent the lower edge thereof forming an upwardly open pocket in co-operation with said girdle front section adapted for receiving and supporting the prolapsed hypogastric region of the abdomen; and a substantially semi-circular pouch forming gusset of yieldable elastic material flatly contacting the inner surface of said girdle and connected along its arcuate edge to the inner surface of said girdle rear section adjacent the lower edge thereof and adapted for enveloping the buttocks of a wearer in co-operation with said girdle rear section and for preventing upward slippage of said girdle when the wearer is in a seated position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,599,641 Buchanan Sept. 14, 1926 1,798,502 Sigsbee Mar. 31, 1931 1,802,464 Frieland Apr. 28, 1931 2,758,310 Lewis et al Aug. 14, 1956 

